What the San Francisco Bay Area Can Teach Us About Fighting a Pandemic

Situated less than 90 miles from China, the coronavirus outbreak could have been critical in Taiwan, but the country's proactive measures helped to stave off the worst of the disease. Having learned from SARS epidemic, Taiwan had prepared for future situations by creating a comprehensive command center and implementing a transparent communication strategy both of which have helped slow the spread of Covid-19.

As the United States struggles to test all citizens exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus, Australia and Canada are offering lessons about best practices for preparing for a pandemic. Having learned from previous outbreaks, these countries implemented protocols such as a national hotline, easy-access to information about testing sites, and "an agency to coordinate and help finance testing and treatment during any kind of viral or disease outbreak" – all of which help make testing more efficient.

The testing efficiency and protocols implemented in South Korea to slow the spread of coronavirus have proven to be successful, with the latest reports of the country showing that reports of cases have leveled off. Combining "a single-payer health-care system and a sweeping infectious-disease law," the country was able rapidly identify potential cases and enact isolation in order to contain the spread of the virus.

South Korea is emerging as a model for many countries battling the spread of coronavirus, thanks to the country's quick response to initiate widespread testing and contact tracing methodology. Having learned from what failed during the outbreak in 2015, the country has been able to keep their death toll under 1 percent, unlike many other countries battling the pandemic.

When virologists and genomicists in Seattle, Washington realized that COVID-19 was likely to spread to the United States, they began to research ways to keep vulnerable poplulations safe. So far, early success has come from replicating the Seattle Flu Study, which uses a swab test to "reveal the trail that the flu takes as it passes around households, homeless shelters, office parks and communities in the city," and now investors are putting money towards getting these tests into households.

South Korea has had an extremely effective response to the coronavirus because of its fast and widespread use of testing. There are now drive-through tests available where people recommended by their doctor can take a test from the safety of their vehicle. This decreases the chances of transmission and lowers the stress of both patient and doctor. As a result, the rate of increase has been slowing since February 29, 2020.

In response to the nationwide deficit of coronavirus tests, colleges in the University of California system are developing their own tests. These tests are increasing the state's capacity for identifying infected residents and decreasing the time required for patients to get their results.

In order to reduce the mortality rate from the coronavirus pandemic as much as possible, medical centers and the government in South Korea reserved beds only for the most ill, while others were quarantined in supervised dorms. To dictate where and how someone would be treated, they were assigned into a category of asymptomatic, mild, severe, or critical, which helped prioritize those that actually needed hospitalization.

Singapore among several other countries have been able to contain coronavirus by working to stay ahead of the spread, rather than confront the spread as it happens. Using strategies – some partially built after learning from failure during the SARS outbreak – such as rigorous contact tracing to determine who may have come into contact with an infected individual, these countries have shown, "early intervention is key."

While some places such as the United Kingdom and London struggle to slow the spread of coronavirus, other countries such as China, South Korea, and Taiwan, have managed to contain the virus through fast-acting government regulations. Although each country's strategy looks different – China enacted a strict lock-down, while South Korea implemented widespread testing – they all acted rapidly to intervene.